Typically, in a substrate processing system which fabricates a semiconductor device using a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply referred to as “wafer”), particles may be adhered to the wafer when a plasma process is performed on the wafer or when the wafer is transferred, and the adhered particles cause defects in the semiconductor device.
Particles may be generated due to various factors such as a mechanical contact between the wafer and a component part of the substrate processing system or a chemical reaction between a processing gas and other materials. In the substrate processing system, a large number of semiconductor devices are fabricated by performing a plasma process on a lot of wafers, and, thus, if particle generation factors are not removed, a yield of the semiconductor devices becomes extremely low. Therefore, in the substrate processing system, it is very important to find the generation factors of particles and remove the generation factors.
Accordingly, the present inventor has developed a particle generation factor determining system, which enables a user of the substrate processing system who has little knowledge about particle generation factors to accurately know the particle generation factors (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This particle generation factor determining system performs an image analysis on image data of the wafer to which the particles are adhered and provides the user with a possibility (accuracy) that each particle generation factor is a true factor, thereby helping the user determine particle generation factors.
Further, an information providing system such as the above-described particle generation factor determining system charges a fee for providing information and collects a fee for using the information providing system from users.    Patent Document 1: Japanese patent application No. 2008-056431
However, typically, in the information providing system, the fee for using the information providing system has been calculated based on the number (kind) of information provided to the user or the number of times the user uses the information providing system, but not based on quality of the provided information or a level of contribution to the solution of a problem. That is, even if the provided information is not helpful for the user, the user is needed to pay the fee therefor. Accordingly, it is not easy for the user to know cost effectiveness of using the information providing system, and, thus, it is impossible to offer the user an incentive to use the information providing system, which results in a decrease in usefulness of the information providing system.